Dulce Et Decorum Est Pro Patria Mori
by Belen09
Summary: A multi-chapter story about the friendship between Lieutenant Reed and Corporal Hawkins - 'It is sweet and right to die for one's homeland.' From a quote by Horace and a poem by Wilfred Owen; I anticipate that it will be at least 10 chapters long.
1. Chapter 1

OOOOO

Author Note: I gave this the title of a quote by Horace and a poem by Wilfred Owen, as my own belief is that no matter how horrible the existence of War – it serves a societal purpose – at least to the powers-that-be. And so I believe that honor should be given to those who follow the wishes of their homeland; it is natural to feel pride in one's country . . .

I don't have anything to do with Star Trek (Enterprise) other than enjoying the universe; and I remember 'Kevin' with fondness . . . someday I hope to meet again . . .

OOOOO

Twenty-eight years before the mission to the Expanse –

When Madeline Reed was almost twelve years old – her birthday being in the spring of the year – she had the unenviable task of having to take her younger brother Malcolm with her as she went to visit with her best friend, Shannon. The two girls would 'play dolls' together, an activity which the eight year old boy found extremely boring; not even the presence of Kelly, Shannon's younger brother was much of a help. The six year old spent most of his time digging holes in the dirt, and pounding nails in the old lumber that littered the back yard.

It was hoped by the mothers of the children – and Malcolm was informed of the goal most severely – that his better verbal skills would 'rub off' on the younger child. Instead he willfully, and most deliberately, would sit under the wisteria bushes, with his favorite books and read about sailing ships, pirates, cowboys, and the occasional classics like 'Alice in Wonderland'. He was accused of not being friendly when he pointed out to Kelly that simply digging a big hole in the dirt would not lead to fish suddenly appearing, nor would it be possible to 'float a boat' big enough to climb into . . .

It was looking like Malcolm Reed would be fated to find these visits mostly solitary, until one day he was standing in the side yard looking at a tree that kept getting hit by passing cars – his mother had said that it was 'an attractive nuisance'. He wondered how a really ugly hawthorn tree could be considered attractive; then, lifting his eyes, Malcolm realized that he was being looked at by a thin boy sitting on the steps of a front porch of a house across the street. (Years later, no matter that the house was replaced and was only a memory, he remembered in particular the bright eyes and smile of his soon-to-be friend, Kevin, holding a book . . .)

Malcolm walked directly up to the porch. "Hello," he stated without any pretense, "My name is Malcolm. What are you reading?" Actually though, he had already spotted the title; it was his most favorite book at the time, 'Lad, A Dog'.(An old dog-eared copy, but Malcolm already knew that it wasn't the way a book looked that was important to him, but what was inside that counted.) A story about collies – but more importantly something that he could talk to someone about.

(Nobody in Malcolm's family ever talked with him – oh, they'd tell him what to do, and expected him to do it – but that he might have an opinion – that wasn't allowed . . .)

The thin blond-haired boy, briefly smiled and said with a slight Irish accent, "I'm Kevin," and he held the book up so that Malcolm could see it better, and Malcolm, said quickly, "Lad, A Dog – It's a really neat book . . ." Kevin offered a gesture for Malcolm to sit with him on the porch step, and he happily accepted.

Thus began Malcolm's first friendship – over the next year – they spent many hours sitting on that porch or when the weather was bad in Kevin's living room, talking about books and life in general. Kevin was almost two years older, but he told Malcolm that he liked him because he liked to read. Malcolm did too, and sometimes they even talked about serious things like when they found out that the author of 'Lad, A Dog' had been dishonest and acted badly.

The two friends discussed the man's actions (and if he hadn't been deceased two hundred years – their comments might have concerned the author.) "He was a bad person," ventured Malcolm, "and he wrote books that children read . . ." Kevin continued the thought – "If you are going to write children's books, you should be a good person." "Or at least try to be," replied Malcolm, and they moved on to other authors and other books . . .

Malcolm Reed cherished the memory of his first true friendship . . .

OOOOO


	2. Chapter 2

OOOOO

A.N. – Panama City was mentioned previously in the show as Trip's hometown – I have taken the liberty of changing the path of the attack on Earth, making it a curve rather than a straight line . . . more horrible for Florida, however . . . (Several military facilities in the area).

OOOOO

April 24, 2153 – Current time.

When Ensign Travis Mayweather announced to the officers on the bridge his sighting of the Sun, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed was affected – albeit with some restraint – it wouldn't be proper for a senior Starfleet officer to shout 'Thank God, we're home!' - much less the action of jumping up and down. . . . Nonetheless, he basked in that pleasant thought until the reality of a shot from a Klingon bird of prey slammed into the ship. Had a momentary feeling of 'Bloody unfair!' - which of course wasn't particularly helpful, but he pushed that aside as he worked on defending the Enterprise.

The timely arrival of the Intrepid, and two other ships ensured the survival of the ship. The odds were too great for the Klingon – Duras was definitely fixated on Captain Jonathan Archer. Reed decided that that bit of information was worth remembering, and it did add a sense of urgency to the needed upgrades of the weapon systems. Who knew what was going to happen in light of the attack on Earth?

As they arrived in orbit over the Caribbean, the senior officers stood in front of the view screen, and looked at the damage done to Earth; Reed had once heard that the Great Wall of China was visible from high orbit – he'd not particularly wondered if it was true – indeed anything was visible with advanced technology. But this mark – a slash really – cut into the very firmament of the planet, and he knew with a certainty that it would remain until the Sun in its death throes millions of years hence swallowed their Earth in greedy hunger . . .

Taking in the remarkable sight, Malcolm Reed noticed that Commander Trip Tucker, though standing in front of the screen, was determinedly not looking at it; rather his face and eyes were downcast in a manner that indicated introspection at the very least. The Enterprise armory officer knew that his friend needed support – he would lend that support in any way he could – Reed could only guess at the sorrow in Trip's heart, and mind.

The attack devastated Trip's former hometown, and probably killed his sister, along with countless others (the number of seven million was but an estimate at best) and almost immediately had thrust the chief engineer into a troubling depression, marked by insomnia and anger. The entire crew was distressed by the events of the attack, and Malcolm felt at a loss as to how to handle the man's pain.

No one had even brought up the matter directly, but the thought had occurred to the armory officer – was his job function that different from that of the creature that had attacked Earth? True, the reasoning was that that it all came down to intent – but if it was true that these 'Xindi' believed that their world would be in the future destroyed by the 'Humans' (according to Captain Archer) – then their action would be totally understandable. Reed determined not to think too much on the matter; he would protect his own – or die trying . . .

In the back of his mind though, intent waged a battle with need . . .

OOOOO

Captain Archer had gotten permission for Commander Tucker to take a shuttle from the Enterprise down to visit his former hometown. Panama City was located on the coast of Florida – the panhandle of the state – almost literally the first part of the planet to be attacked. His father was an executive with a company in the area (while also an engineer, had been in management for decades), and their family had lived in a couple different houses in the city, including one located on the coast.

He'd told stories to Malcolm about growing up – about running through the piney woods, snorkeling in the bay, and a very funny story about two elderly gentlemen who insisted on calling him 'Charles Tucker The Third' even as a five-year old child. It was clear to Malcolm that Trip loved the area that he had grown up in, and before the attack, Malcolm had been a bit jealous of the experiences he'd had – now all swept away by the tragedy. He rode with Trip as the Southerner maneuvered the shuttle pod down in that had apparently been a town square . . . Tucker had not said one word during the voyage.

The damage, even to one not familiar with the area, was extensive – almost unbelievable. A huge chasm was carved in the earth; a good half kilometer in width, it extended across his entire field of vision. The only thing that even approached this horrific destruction was the historic pictures of damage done in WWII. Reed had gotten a glimpse of the bottom of the 'pit' as they had circled in to land; this close to the gulf, salt water had back-filled from the coast, and lacking any natural tidal movement it had turned brackish and foul – the whole area smelled of mold and mildew.

The two officers stood in the bright sun, and Trip pointed out to Malcolm where buildings had been in the town; the Englishman dutifully looked in the general direction of where his friend was pointing – he didn't even try to imagine what had been there before – rather in his mind he was calculating the power needed to inflict this abomination, and he expressed his regrets to his friend. Nothing else could be done . . . hopefully there were some answers back at Starfleet.

OOOOO

Reed heard that a General Casey had suggested to Starfleet that 'MACOs' be assigned to the Enterprise to provide more muscle in the event that the ship made contact with these 'Xindi' aliens. And that Captain Archer was considering the proposal, and was likely to approve the addition to their ship's complement. Malcolm realized that he was 'of two minds' regarding this idea – though realistically he knew that the request of the general was likely to be accommodated – even a starship captain couldn't ignore (in these extraordinary times) the offer of a superior officer, though in a different service. It just wasn't done.

That being said, the Enterprise Chief Armory Officer was proud of the quality of his security officers, and felt that they were perfectly capable of handling any security threats that might arise in the unknown Delphic Expanse. He wasn't keen on having to endure 'the learning curve' for a group of people equal in size to his own staff, who were not experienced in the matter of space operations. Even if these 'ground-pounders' had had extensive training, he knew for a fact that they wouldn't be used to life on a starship.

Weeks and even months of boredom would be endured, with moments (and perhaps hours) of excitement, not to mention terror . . . and though the people assigned would be 'the crème' of the MACOs, Reed had his doubts that they would meld with his armory/security staff. (Frankly he was hoping to draft some of the more experienced crew off other Starfleet vessels, and he had a tentative list of recommended crew. This proposal laid waste to those plans.)

When Archer accepted the MACOs, Lieutenant Reed was in the midst of working on his upgrades to the torpedoes – they had a variable yield and were the most advanced available to Starfleet. He had also had at his disposal increased hull protection (including upgrades that he himself had devised – often under stressful 'real life' situations). He literally did not have the time to 'review the troops' and Captain Archer had gone down with Commander Tucker to greet the new crew component of MACOs. (A minor thought also crossed Malcolm's mind – perhaps that the two longtime friends could relax around each other – Unfortunately, he didn't seem to have that effect with Trip, even though he considered the commander his best friend. Reed wished there was something he could do, but he didn't know what; so, he followed the advice of his grandfather – that it was better to remain silent, and not aggravate a problem.)

As soon as Captain Archer returned to the ship, he requested that Lieutenant Reed meet him in his Ready Room. The Englishman was down in one of the cargo bays inspecting the holding facilities for additional torpedoes – more armaments would be required during this mission than usual and he wanted to make sure that the area would be suitable. Obviously when in the general cargo bay area the torpedoes could not be armed in any way; the lieutenant wasn't happy about the situation, but one had to use what was available . . . little did he know that storing armaments in general cargo would be the least of his worries.

OOOOO

Malcolm Reed pressed the doorbell to the Captain's Ready Room and was immediately granted access to the small room located via a short corridor from the Bridge – more than a couple of people in the area made it feel crowded, but since it rarely held more than three people and a dog, it was a more intimate area for discussion of ship's matters. Only in extremely unusual circumstances did anyone but the ship's senior officers visit the area; in fact, the only reason that he, as a lieutenant, ever saw the interior of the room was because he was the senior Armory/Tactical officer.

(In fact it seemed, more often than not, his 'visits' to the Ready Room tended to be unpleasant, including 'a dressing-down' after Commander Tucker and he attempted to sneak into the computer center of the repair station after that incident with the minefield and the Romulans. However, the room itself was not uncomfortable, for unlike the captain, he could walk in the tight space without having to duck to avoid hitting his head on a support beam. The designers of the ship had crammed the small room in the space available, which meant that it was where the hull began to curve.)

So it wasn't particularly unusual to see the captain sitting at his desk; Malcolm stood at relaxed attention – Jonathan Archer didn't seem to appreciate a very formal greeting – but Reed did nod his head briefly and said, "You wanted to see me, captain?" Archer got right to the point – "Commander Tucker and I met with General Casey, and we reviewed the people coming aboard for the mission. He's picked some fine men and women – Oh, and they'll be under the command of a Major Hayes – but under your all-over authority. They'll be transported up to the ship later today. Do you have any questions?"

Malcolm felt like he was being particularly dense, when he said "Major Hayes? Sir?", but he couldn't help it; his family being career military, one of the earliest lessons he learned was the comparative ranks between services. The very idea that a lieutenant, albeit the head of a department, could command a major – even if he was novice to space missions – was quite unheard of, perhaps even absurd. A second thought entered his mind, and he spoke it aloud. "Why such a senior officer?" (A thought that admittedly he reminded of from one of those films that Trip used to show every week – 'Saving Private Ryan' – and the American Army Captain commanding a squad of soldiers in search of Ryan . . . Reed wondered who the major had managed to 'piss off'. This did not bode well in his opinion.)

"General Casey assures me that these people are the very best and that Major Hayes is an experienced commander . . ." Archer began speaking and was a bit surprised when the lieutenant interrupted him – "Surely if the major is that experienced, he might be better placed in defense of Earth . . . I had thought that a senior MACO lieutenant or captain would be assisting me in operations. I am concerned that Major Hayes might try to 'pull rank' despite your assurances, sir." He didn't mention the second thought that something might be wrong with the major – an impediment to imperil the mission.

Captain Archer looked at Lieutenant Reed; despite having worked together for almost two years, there were some aspects that neither man understood about the other. This was one of them . . . "Malcolm, you are my Armory/Tactical Officer, and a member of Starfleet – a MACO major would not be able to assume your duties . . ." "With all due respect, sir – General Casey may have gotten you to accept a second command structure. I would advise you to take care , , ," Reed spoke very earnestly which caused Archer to actually laugh. He stifled it immediately, then said, "At any rate they will be here by fourteen hundred hours, and a meeting in the exercise room is scheduled between you and the new troops at sixteen hundred. That will be all, lieutenant." Malcolm Reed exited the Ready Room with less than a satisfied nod to his captain's wishes . . .

OOOOO

Lieutenant Reed entered the Exercise Room/Gymnasium at precisely fifteen hundred hours fifty-five minutes; dressed in his best regular duty uniform, it wouldn't be proper to be seen lounging around the exercise area waiting for the new people and their commanding officer. He had thought that most likely they would have been mustered to arrive by that time and would be waiting for him. The lieutenant was not disappointed in that estimation – the moment he entered the area, he was greeted by a quiet acknowledgement of his presence and a double rank of MACOs with a major standing at respectful attention.

(Later, after the mission to the Delphic Expanse had concluded, Malcolm realized that his memory of that first day – that first meeting – was colored by his distrust of Major Hayes. He did note the presence of the two women in the group, and chastised himself immediately for being sexist – they wouldn't have been in the group if they hadn't met stringent criteria. Nothing else particularly stood out in the group, other than the general impression of being well-trained and good health. Over half the MACOs present that day wouldn't make it out of the Expanse, and Malcolm would come to realize that his opinion of Major Hayes was flawed – the man was 'doing his duty' – and had been assigned this mission at the behest of his superiors.)

Reed addressed the assembled group; he'd never been particularly fond of this kind of meeting – everything forced and unnatural. This regimentation was part of the reason of his estrangement from his family. True, other members of this mostly American crew thought he was more than a bit 'by the book' and a stickler for rules – but rather than embracing this military attitude wholeheartedly, often he used it as a defense mechanism.

During the months that it had taken Malcolm to become comfortable with his fellow crewmates they discovered that he prided himself at being utterly reliable, also trying with success to be a good officer for his staff, and the rest of the crew. The one thing that he brooked no compromise with was the safety of the ship, and would put his own welfare in jeopardy in pursuit of that goal. The addition of this new force – and Major Hayes – disrupted the balance that Lieutenant Malcolm Reed had worked so hard to attain.

After dismissing the assembled MACOs, and having a momentary conversation with the major regarding a future tactical meeting, Malcolm waited in the Exercise Room/Gym alone with his thoughts. He looked around the area, and spotted the mirror; drawn to it, he looked at the reflection of a small, dark-haired man, serious and not very physically impressive. "We're in for it this time, aren't we?" spoke Malcolm quietly. His reflection, being a man of few words, didn't reply . . .

OOOOO


	3. Chapter 3

D and D chapter three

See above

OOOOO

A.N. I have expanded the role of Corporal Hawkins – I think not excessively – and given that three months plus passed before the MACOs were 'in action' – they had to have been doing something during that time period . . . (Part one of this section)

OOOOO

Current Time –

Malcolm Reed knew as a certainty that he hadn't misspoken; that his question had been perfectly normal and proper, and that anybody – especially a friend – would have asked the same question . . . that being said, he was still left in the corridor, wondering what went wrong and feeling like a complete git. Publically chastised . . . no, yelled at by Trip Tucker, accused of not doing everything he could to prepare to avenge the Xindi attack . . . that really hurt, and he stood in stunned silence as he watched his very distressed friend walk away.

He automatically reviewed the incident in his mind – that is what 'professional security officers' do – 'tied up and wrapped in a bow' for later appraisal. 'At this time and date, 'things went to hell' . . . Commander Tucker (mustn't think of him as Trip) walked into the Armory and inquired about the status of the upgrades to the torpedo systems . . . I told him about the new variable-yield photonic ordinance, and that I was pleased at the new ability for measured response to threats as I'd had some influence in developing the torpedoes in question. We walked out of the door to the Armory, and were walking in the corridor, when I inquired about a service to commemorate his sister Elizabeth who perished in the Xindi attack.

When he told me that there was no point as her remains were never found, I thought that the confusion on the part of my question must be due to the difference between British English and American English, and I restated my question with the emphasis on 'a memorial'. (This is a common protocol for security officers – restating a request in a more precise manner to perhaps elicit a better response.) I also mentioned that it was unfortunate that the ship had not been back at Earth when the planet-wide remembrance was held.

It was at that moment that the conversation took an unfortunate turn; Commander Tucker said that I was obsessed with memorials (and by extension – death). This harkened back to our experience together in the shuttle pod incident from the previous year. Then, as now I am of the opinion that an individual person's life matters – we are not interchangeable parts in a machine – the commander's statement was blatantly unfair.

He continued by saying that his sister was no more important than any of the other millions that perished. I objected by saying that his sister was more important to him . . . he ended the conversation by telling me that I didn't need to tell him about his sister, and using what was clearly command authority, and told me to focus my attention on getting my weapons ready so that we could exact revenge on the Xindi who did this. He then walked around the corner and left me standing in the corridor . . .' Reed ordered his thoughts – he had to – this outburst was upsetting, and for the time being all his energy needed to be focused on the Enterprise's defensive and offensive systems. He stood in contemplation for several moments, then walked back to the Armory; the area, and that which it contained was at least under his personal control, if nothing else was.

On the way back he met in the corridor, some of the new crew – MACOs, and as he hadn't totally familiarized himself with their names and records, Malcolm only nodded in their direction as they paused to let a senior officer pass by. His mind acknowledged in a general way the presence of a blond-haired corporal . . .

OOOOO

Previously -

Corporal Frank Hawkins had been a MACO for almost eight years, enlisting after graduating from a special course of study at his local community college; the degree, given the not-very-illustrative description of 'Military Science', focused on the opportunities that a career in the military service offered – with introductory classes and physical training. As he was a healthy young man with an intelligent mind, and the will to succeed, Hawkins did well in his classes and had the choice of which branch of service to enlist.

For him there really was no choice; his family had a long history of service in the United States Marine Corps (and previous to his ancestors coming to North America, had been guards in the service of some forgotten European monarchs). The child Francis Hawkins (who insisted that he be called Frank) had, at age ten, done the usual thing and with other children had found the well-used PADDs at the library containing all the 'interesting to children' facts about the military. (The librarians didn't even try to order the information, rather they just placed the PADDS on a shelf, and they would all be checked out by the eager young hands immediately . . .) For most children this interest would eventually wane – but for a select few this interest in military service would, for whatever reason, continue.

Frank was one of these young people, and his parents encouraged his interest in military affairs. He read all the books about famous leaders and the great battles that he could find; had long discussions with his relatives about what military service entailed – the good and the bad – 'on the whole' the service had been good and honorable for the family, and Frank being 'the dutiful son' wished to emulate his ancestors. So he joined the current version of the Marine Corps – the MACOs, and found that service in that organization was professionally successful; he attained the rank of corporal in good time, and with study and application was well on his way to being promoted to sergeant. (Frank allowed himself to imagine that he might be a candidate for 'officer's school' – there was a tradition in his family of this happening, as well as a belief that this path to being an officer made for a better leader.)

Then the attack on Earth occurred. It was hard to gauge the amount of grief and shock that caused, as for many people this immediately was transformed into anger – all the resources of Starfleet were tasked to find who had committed this outrage, and if possible, to prevent any further attacks. (The Vulcans had retrieved the 'suicide ship's' wreckage and deceased pilot, but even they had no idea from where the attack had originated. A decision was made early in the response to the incident to have Earth's only Warp 5 capable vessel, the Enterprise, return to Earth as soon as possible. A second Warp 5 capable ship – the Columbia - was months away from completion even with an expedited construction schedule expanded to 24 hour operations.)

The Vulcans were clearly unprepared for the response of the humans as everyone waited for the return of Enterprise; the non-space military forces of Earth were mobilized in addition to the reaction by Starfleet – as if they could do anything other than relief work to allay the terrible destruction of the attack. Some authorities though, clearly had other ideas and were gathering a consensus opinion that when the Enterprise returned, and was sent out to deal with whoever had caused this attack that additional experienced and well-armed military force should be included in the crew complement. These contingency plans were drawn up despite lacking the actual knowledge; the military mindset is such that one should take into account any and all threats to safety and security. This situation was tailor-made for such a response.

It was hardly a surprise to Corporal Hawkins, or any of the MACOs, both enlisted and officers, that 'something was in the works' – the rumor mill had started almost immediately after the attack – at the time most certainly wishful thinking, that retaliation would be swift and devastating against those who dared to violate and despoil the blue 'pearl of great wealth' that was Earth.

(Few humans regarded the Vulcans as fortunate in having their desert planet; it was their Earth that was the great prize, with its verdant forests, teeming jungles, and great grain producing plains. But most remarkable of all were the oceans, home to myriad creatures, and the natural powerhouse of human civilization. Most of the energy production here came from the tidal forces that the moon exerted upon the Earth; the alien attack impacted the Caribbean/Gulf of Mexico region of these facilities, leading to a dearth of generating power. The navies of the world were hard-pressed to react in a coherent fashion – no one could have conceived of the devastation wrought by merely one spacecraft.)

Corporal Hawkins had received special training in dealing with extra-terrestrial threats; at the time it had been anticipated that the furthest that the MACOs might have to travel was in the Sol system. But with this attack, he was one of the select few ready to meet the challenge of this vital mission. And so, with his fellow MACOs, he stood with Major Hayes and met with Captain Archer and Commander Tucker as the two officers welcomed their small band into service on the Enterprise as they stood at attention, listening to the speech that General Casey gave, entrusting their bodies, souls, and honor to Starfleet.

It made for an uncomfortable situation.

OOOOO

So it was actually anti-climactic when the next day, at fourteen hundred hours they transited to the Enterprise, and were billeted in pairs, assigned quarters, given instructions on emergency procedures, and how to get to the exercise room/gym where the Head of Security – a Lieutenant Reed - would be formally meeting with Major Hayes and the rest of the MACOs for the first time.

They entered the area at fifteen fifty – Lieutenant Reed at fifteen fifty-five. 'First impression,' thought Hawkins, eyes forward but observing with his peripheral vision . . . 'a small man, sharply defined features, dark hair' – hoped to hell he wasn't 'a hard ass', but the man's voice and accent didn't help. British – almost painfully correct in speaking, in the way he moved . . . Damn. This was Starfleet's finest?

After some words that basically no one remembered for posterity, the group was dismissed, and the major and the lieutenant stayed behind to talk. Everyone else went back to their quarters where they found information 'packets' uploaded to their computer terminals. At least no one was going to starve, or hopefully walk into an airlock and get shot out into space . . .

OOOOO

Major Hayes had released them to do some exploring on the ship – for Frank Hawkins, and the other two MACOs he was with – Romero and Forbes – this meant that they decided to find out where the armory was located and get a feel for the area. Albert Hawkins, retired Gunnery Sgt. and his grandfather – a man of few words so when he did talk it made an impression – told him years before when he left for 'basic training', (actually the last time Frank saw him alive) that locating where the armory was on a ship was a 'very good idea'.

Reason being, of course, was that was where the main 'fire power' was located; it would be a focus of any unfriendly boarding party, and would be a high security area. (And his grandfather mentioned with some irony – sometimes you might not want to be in the area – although Frank figured in space it didn't make much difference. If the explosion didn't kill you outright, no atmosphere would shortly . . .)

So the three men were walking away from the area of the armory having noticed that there was no sign that said (unusually) 'Armory', though every other place on the ship seemed to be labeled prominently. (And color-coded, with helpful little bumps for no light situations . . .) Tomorrow would be the official tour – and they would be actually allowed into the holy sanctum – but for now these three MACOs (and the other small MACO groups wandering the area) had to be satisfied prowling the corridors.

Then suddenly, they spotted Lieutenant Reed standing in the corridor motionless; Hawkins got the impression – fleeting though it was – that something was wrong. Just a feeling looking at the man's body posture – almost immediately the Brit assumed a formal stance – before he seemed vulnerable, and upset . . . At any rate, he then acknowledged the MACOs, and nodded his head in their direction. Nothing was actually said by anybody, and Reed walked past them in the direction of the armory.

OOOOO


	4. Chapter 4

D And D chapter 4

See Above

OOOOO

A.N. This is a continuation of the previous chapter – again it should be noted that approximately three months passed between the re-launch of Enterprise and the first mission involving the new MACO contingent. The combined Starfleet and MACO crew had to have been occupied - doing something during that period . . .

OOOOO

Malcolm Reed pushed his staff and himself to get the new improved offensive and defensive systems online. He hadn't been exaggerating when he had told Trip Tucker that it would be a close deadline to get everything integrated before the re-launch. The southerner would have phrased it more colorfully, something along the lines of 'they worked their butts off,', however in any form of English Malcolm knew that his staff was thoroughly professional and handled the strain admirably. The armory, and by extension – the ship's offensive and defensive systems - were now ready for any eventuality, he hoped.

As it was, the lieutenant thought he was basically was 'taking it easy' by sitting at the tactical position on the bridge, thus allowing his people the luxury of finally getting some well-deserved rest before exiting the Sol system. Toward the end of his shift the Enterprise would be exiting space dock, and the Alpha shift would be on duty soon after – perhaps pushing the matter, but Captain Archer had told Admiral Forest that they would be leaving as soon as the last of the personnel from the space dock had finished with the upgrades.

The captain was naturally anxious for the ship to be leaving, and who was to say that the extra few hours would not be crucial to their missions? Sub-commander T'Pol would be the commanding officer during Alpha shift, and he would relinquish control of the ship to her; in four hours more he would be relieved at the tactical station by Crewman Wilcox, and retiring to his quarters after a quick trip to the Mess Hall for bit of tea and some fruit or biscuit. (Malcolm wasn't too keen on eating a full meal just before going to bed. Besides he wanted to take a hot shower and listen to some music before sleeping anyway . . . such were his thoughts at the moment.)

He then began anticipating the launching from space dock. A clean launch was a matter of pride with the Reed family, whether it be with his ancestors or with himself . . . Malcolm cycled through the various departments on the Enterprise – all was ready except for the last work crew – and he thought briefly about contacting Commander Tucker to see if there were any delays . . . then negated that idea as it was in the middle of Trip's off duty, and the man needed his rest . . . and undoubtedly didn't need to be bothered . . .

So Lieutenant Reed turned his thoughts to a more pressing issue – what was he going to do with Major Hayes? Nothing quick or easy came to mind, and with T'Pol leaving, that left him with Trip or Captain Archer to confide in. Neither option was doable, so he wondered if there was anything in the ship's library dealing with superiors who weren't superior, or subordinates who weren't subordinate. The classes given at Starfleet, or the lessons he'd learnt 'at his father's knee', hardly dealt with the problem.

OOOOO

The last crew from the space dock was delayed in exiting the ship – not exactly unexpected – and T'Pol was in command as the Enterprise exited the Starfleet space dock; Malcolm Reed watched the view screen, relishing the sight. There was something awe inspiring about the launch of a vessel, whether it be the current Warp 5 starship, or even a 'simple' naval vessel plying the Earth's seas. In both cases, the technology 'cobbled together' by mere Humans would be tested against the rigors of nature – terrestrial and extra-terrestrial . . . man attempting to challenge the universe's supremacy of the forces of physics.

Malcolm's contemplation of this moment was interrupted; a violent shaking was felt as obvious weapon's fire hit the ship. This motion activated Malcolm's Tactical Alert program, which immediately brought hull plating online and readied the Enterprise's offensive and defensive systems for use. Reed scanned the area for the attacker. Enterprise had been vulnerable since they were still in the Sol System itself, and warp-capable vessels did not go to that increased speed close to Earth because of the heavy intra-solar system traffic. It would not be wise for Starfleet to irritate 'the locals'; after all, that organization existed at the behest of the governments of Earth, which in turn were elected by the respective citizens.

The lieutenant found the ship responsible for the attack and at the same time witnessed both Captain Archer and Commander Tucker exit the lift. Both in civilian attire, the captain immediately headed for the command position which sub-Commander T'Pol vacated, while Trip headed for the bridge engineering station off to Malcolm's right. (It wasn't usually manned as most of the time Trip preferred to be 'hands on' down in Engineering with his engines. Strictly a matter of practicalities – and mindset – Malcolm knew that his Armory staff would function quite well without him present, and he needed absolutely to be here on the Bridge attending to Tactical matters. Sometimes like right now, this meant responding to threats . . .) Reed noted without surprise that it was a Klingon Bird of Prey – probably Duras again.

(Looking back, during the mission to the Expanse, Malcolm would remember that last glimpse of an 'innocent' Jonathan Archer – a final view of someone who still believed in a reasonable, rational, ordered universe – where measured response had a time and a place. That view of his superior officer would be shortly 'washed away' by the events of the Expanse, leaving a hardened, and perhaps lesser man. Reed could appreciate the reason, if not the result . . .)

Archer approached the tactical station with a decided gleam in his eye, and stated quite plainly to Malcolm that 'he had been wanting to test the new torpedoes – start low.' The Brit pushed a few buttons and a single piece of ordinance left the Enterprise and stuck the Klingon vessel. As he expected the impact was minor, and also as he expected the Klingons didn't abandon their attack. Archer requested a mid-range point of destructive power for the next torpedo. That was quite effective and it damaged the motive power of the alien vessel. The captain then received information as to when they would be entering Vulcan space; it was close to Earth and it would be hoped that that proximity would dissuade the Klingons from pursuing the Enterprise any further. Reed had his privately held doubts on the matter, but for the moment everything seemed to be under control.

OOOOO

Major Hayes was conducting a training exercise in the gym when the effects of the first Klingon disruptor shot hit the Enterprise; He had paired the various MACOs off according to size and had the two women working together – it was early in the regimen that he had devised and he wanted to 'warm up' the group so as to see where their strengths and weakness lie. Not that he expected many weaknesses, but he was of the opinion that there could always be improvements. Especially, since the unit would be cooped up in this vessel for many months at the very least. He didn't want anyone to 'lose their edge.'

That being said it was a very unwelcome surprise when the ship began to shake in response to the attack from the Klingons. None of the MACOs (including Major Hayes) had any idea of what was really happening. The room shook violently and one of the barbells fell off its stand and rolled on the deck, coming to rest against one of the walls. The natural human response of the group was to 'hunker down' and lean against another wall while wondering 'what the hell was going on' – Major Hayes himself got up and despite more shaking of the Enterprise made it to the door and exited into the corridor.

He saw Starfleet Security rush by, heading for presumably the airlocks as a precautionary measure, phase rifles at the ready . . . Hayes wondered if this was part of Reed's security protocol. He followed one 'squad' discreetly, noting the positioning of the crewmen as they prepared to fire on any intruders who might be foolish enough to breach the ship through the airlocks. The major heard the quiet tones of the 'tactical alarm', and wondered why there wasn't a louder indication of the alert status. Finally there was a terse announcement from Lieutenant Reed himself declaring that the situation was over, and the threat had been dealt with. The Security detail then 'safed' their weapons and visibly relaxed, almost ignoring the presence of the MACO officer.

Hayes headed back to the exercise room, and entered to find that his MACOs were standing at ease waiting for his return; they too had figured out (by the lack of further shaking and the announcement of the tactical officer) that the situation was under control. The major made a comment about determining where their tactical alert stations were, and that the Starfleet Security personnel obviously needed their help in order to deal with any intruders . . . it was probably lucky that none of the Starfleet crew heard Hayes, as his tone indicated some distain for the operational readiness he had witnessed.

He decided to ask the lieutenant why the 'tactical alert tone' was so quiet – it almost seemed like one could ignore the alert if one decided to – hardly what a tactical alert alarm should be . . .

OOOOO

Malcolm Reed was just lying down for some rest when his computer made a noise indicating an incoming message. It was from Major Hayes, regarding the activation of the tactical alert. The man had a reasonable request about the location of the alert stations for the MACO forces. Frankly, the tactical chief hadn't had the opportunity or the time to consider this problem – Malcolm had thought that there would be some time before he had to exactly determine where on the ship the best utilization of the MACOs would be. Well, that idea was 'shot all to hell' . . . and then he read the last comment of the major's – namely that the alert tone for the Tactical Alert was hardly attention-worthy.

'Oh, this is too good,' thought Reed, and he included a couple of sound files to be opened by the major when he got his reply back. 'Yes, he would like to discuss the MACOs 'duty stations' during a Tactical Alert, and by the way – here are a couple of sound files that you might find 'interesting' – considered and rejected by Archer, Tucker, and even T'Pol.' "Knock yourself out Major!" replied Malcolm to the air in his quarters as he lay down to sleep.

(No one needed a redux of that hyper-military approach and paranoia that he himself had so brilliantly demonstrated previously during the exposure to the unusual radiation of the trinary black hole. He could just imagine what 'the major' would think of Archer's obsession that time with the book preface or Trip's little engineering problem with the captain's chair. Malcolm considered his problem that time to be much more serious, as was Dr. Phlox's obsession with Travis Mayweather's headache . . . Reed went so far as to make a special trip to Sickbay in regard to the matter.

He discussed the situation with the good doctor, positing that perhaps the reason their common reaction was so critical was that in fact they were normally 'obsessed' with their work. Phlox responded by reminding Malcolm that 'Mr. Tucker could be also quite obsessive in regards to Engineering,' to which Reed replied, "Yes, but we may kill with our obsessions, while Mr. Tucker just might invent . . . 'a time machine'. Phlox didn't know the H. G. Wells reference, but he got the crux of the matter.)

Malcolm Reed finally relaxed as he drifted toward sleep, content for the moment to think of the minor jolt that the oh-so military major would get from the sound clips . . . and a bit of a smile came to his mind.

OOOOO

Sgt. Kemper was in Major Hayes quarters, discussing a minor problem with the man, when Lieutenant Reed's reply with the sound clips was received at the computer. Hayes was listening to Kemper's take on the situation when he opened the memo, read it and then absentmindedly opened the second sound clip. (He skipped the first for the reason that Commander Tucker had gotten ahold of the clip at one time and labeled it – 'A Bag Full Of Cats' – a prank that he had pulled on Malcolm Reed, that only showed up when the sound clip was sent from Malcolm's computer to another internal computer on the ship. Hayes didn't know what that was about, and he didn't want to find out.)

He began playing the second clip and was surrounded by a sound reminiscent of the classic Dive alert tones on submarines. "Jesus H. Christ!" cried Kemper, "What the hell is that?" "It's Lieutenant Reed attempting to be funny," replied the major, even as he killed the noise. "He says in this note that he had run some alert tones past his superior officers and that all of them had been denied. So what we are left with is a 'touchy-feely' approach to notification of Tactical Alerts. Typical." And with that he dismissed the Sgt. and began working on some reports. He needed to make sure that the physical fitness of the MACOs was maintained and frankly he didn't care who he inconvenienced – including Lieutenant Malcolm Reed.

OOOOO

And so for the next seven weeks, especially after T'Pol had decided to remain with the ship, an uneasy normality fell upon the combined Starfleet and MACO crew on the Enterprise. Certain members of the Starfleet contingent – primarily those concerned with ship operations – had practically no change in emphasis from one of their usual missions. Engineering was one of those departments, and none of the Starfleet crew, either within that department or not, was the least bit critical of the fact that Commander Tucker was fully involved maintaining the Enterprise. It gave him 'something' to do, and if that something meant that the ship was in optimum condition, 'it was all gravy' . . .

'That was good', thought Malcolm Reed, though the rest of his mind was totally occupied with the Armory and tactical readiness of the Enterprise, including the MACOs. Major Hayes had responded to the lieutenant's prank by inundating Reed with all the personal files and reports regarding the new troops that he could muster. From the West Pointer's viewpoint it hadn't made a damn bit of difference – what he didn't know was that the Tactical and Armory Chief was a 'speed reader' and had topped out the testing ability of Starfleet in this matter from the beginning of his service. The more information available the better he felt about a situation. (It wasn't only that – the security instructors at Starfleet were surprised by the reports that this British recruit wrote, and told Reed to his face that most people in security were more comfortable with personal 'face to face' communication than with written.)

In short, the communication styles of Lieutenant Reed and Major Hayes were totally opposite; this did not bode well – and none of the superior officers to the two men seemed aware of the problem. Hayes for his part decided to take some action to ensure the readiness of the MACO forces and scheduled mini-marathons in addition to regular training both physical and operational every day, which consisted of the group (including Hayes) running through the corridors of the Enterprise. Reed let the major do what he would with his people, and as long as Hayes wasn't disrupting ship operations, and would be ready when needed, Malcolm wasn't going to interfere. Then came the day when the ship approached the Delphic Expanse . . .

OOOOO

It was totally natural that the Armory/Tactical department head would want to be on duty – on the bridge - as the Enterprise entered the Delphic Expanse. He had to know what was to be expected from this dangerous region of space. Looks were deceiving – the thermobaric clouds surrounding the Expanse were an interesting violet-grey color – nothing else was readily observable as the sensors had trouble piercing the uneven mists. The ship had been in the region for several hours. There would be an operation to release an Echo communication satellite so that some kind of regular contact could hopefully be maintained with Earth and Starfleet, and any moment the bridge would receive word that this had been done.

(Reed had occasionally thought of the absolute 'boldness' of the early explorers on Earth; it seemed more often than not that death was an integral part of exploring . . . sometimes it seemed that their own voyages were similar to those of the Franklin expedition. Not only were they traversing 'the great ocean of the universe' but often conditions were such death was only a misstep away, accompanied by the hubris of thinking that everything Earth-oriented was 'better'. As much as he realized that there were biological reasons for this mindset, Malcolm tried to be flexible – 'Sometimes' contrary to popular belief – 'it was better to go with the devil you didn't know, than the one you did.')

Later, Malcolm remembered Commander Tucker exiting the lift, announcing that the communications satellite had been successfully launched and that a test signal had gotten through to Starfleet. Some unusual readings came in of three contacts – someone, either the captain or the commander had expressed the opinion that it might be sensor ghosts, but T'Pol discounted that. Almost immediately it became apparent that Duras was back and had brought reinforcements. The lieutenant focused on defending the Enterprise, and found that even with the new enhanced hull plating and torpedoes – the Klingons had an advantage as they had directed their hull-plating to the forward part of their vessel. Captain Archer realized that his nemesis was afraid of entering the Expanse itself, and was trying to attack the ship before actually entering the area of space.

(At this point Malcolm wondered if the rumor he heard about the Klingons and the Expanse was true – that something had happened that was so terrible, that even 'stout-hearted Klingons' feared . . . he thought momentarily of the old inscription on ancient maps regarding dragons beyond the known world. But engaging in idle, unproven gossip was never productive and he concentrated on fending off or destroying the remaining Klingon ship after the other two had departed.)

It was at this point that Captain Archer had what could only be described as an inspiration, and he ordered Ensign Mayweather (after a perfunctory question) to perform an "L4" – an old fixed-wing airplane maneuver which would if performed correctly bring the Enterprise behind the 'bird of prey', and enable a 'kill-shot' to eliminate the Klingon threat. Malcolm then heard the captain say something about "holding on", a comment that momentarily was confusing as the inertial dampers on the ship should have been able to handle the motion. (This was one of Archer's less than endearing habits – stating something that anybody with any modicum of sense would find at best old-fashioned. Reed suspected that a future Admiral Archer would even be more hidebound than his own father.)

They entered the dense cloud formation and positioned the Enterprise in a tight maneuver behind the Klingon ship; Malcolm found it particularly satisfying to be able to rip the attacking ship apart with his newly reconfigured torpedoes, and their vessel successfully transited through the wreckage protected by the also newly increased hull-plating. The Enterprise sped toward the Delphic Expanse, and finally entered the region itself. The moment itself was engraved in Malcolm Reed's memory; he recognized that this was one event to be forever 'captured' – no matter what else happened in his life . . .

OOOOO

Major Hayes and the MACOs view of the moment was however not so sanguine – actually again, they didn't know what the hell was happening and the situation was over so quickly that it was impossible to gauge any kind of reasonable response. Their exercise (and readiness) regime was disrupted by the ship shaking violently having been impacted again by the Klingon weapons' fire. And again that 'underwhelming' (in Hayes' opinion) tactical alert tones – which gave no indication of the reason – the major had been under the impression that they were about to enter this 'Delphic Expanse' and were traversing some type of cloud formations.

Lieutenant Reed had given the group all the information that he had – he felt that the major in the matter of unit cohesion, knew best how to handle his MACOs – the ship would first have to get somewhere first in order for the special forces to perform their function. At the moment they were almost 'passengers' in this voyage, and frankly everyone was at a bit of a loss on how to proceed . . .

Hayes did come up with a new tactically-based exercise, which almost caused an incident – it involved using one of the cargo bays with the cargo as 'objects' for the EVA suited MACOs to shoot their practice weapons (low powered actual phase pistols) in drastically reduced gravity. (The captain himself, had 'signed off' on the idea, as it did make sense; he wanted to give the major some leeway as to the type of training that he would give his MACOs.) The idea itself, had much merit as who knew under what conditions they would find the Xindi weapon, and possibly this was very much needed experience. However, the cargo bay that they chose was the same storage area where the extra torpedoes were stored; it had not been seen as necessary to inform the MACOs as to the location of the ordinance, an unfortunate oversight.

The incident happened a little over a week and a half into the Expanse. The command staff of the ship was primarily focused on finding out where these Xindi were located, and the exercise that the major had assigned his forces barely caused any attention until a member of the Starfleet crew attempted to enter said cargo bay and was prevented in doing so by Corporal Hawkins who had been assigned to 'guard' the door from accidental entry during the exercise. Crewman Orsini had been ordered to retrieve some engineering supplies by Commander Tucker, and had been very surprised to find the MACO corporal blocking his entry.

Orsini then contacted Commander Tucker, who had this 'niggly little feeling' that there was something he should be remembering about that cargo bay and he headed for the cargo bay in question himself. As he approached the cargo bay, the commander observed Corporal Hawkins standing in front of the door. The corporal also observed his approach and said, with the respect due a superior officer, 'that Major Hayes was conducting an exercise in the cargo bay' and that Captain Archer had approved the exercise. "What exactly are you doing in there?" asked Tucker, who remembered this as the cargo bay where he encountered those ugly, big-eared aliens only about a year before or so . . .

Hawkins then explained that the MACOs were in EVA suits, with the gravity reduced and were conducting low-power 'live fire' exercises around the cargo . . . anything more he would have said was forestalled by Tucker almost screaming, "Oh my God! Stop it! Stop it now!" and pushing past the corporal to open the hatch. As there was an emergency button to restore 'Earth normal' gravity to the area, the commander grabbed at the button and activated the restoral of gravity equal to the rest of the ship. He then shouted, "This is Commander Tucker! Everyone stand down!"

Major Hayes then walked toward Tucker; he was clearly unhappy at the man's action and was about to 'discuss with him the situation', when the Starfleet officer pointed to a rank of long containers stacked against the near bulkhead. "Do you have any idea what the hell those are?!" Commander Tucker didn't pause in his anger; the group of MACOs stood ready to back up their commander, but then the engineer emphasized his ire by waving his arm at the bulkhead. "Those are God-damn torpedoes!" He then made an effort to calm down. There had already been some unusual variations in how this Expanse affected 'space' and he was sure that this wasn't the least of his worries. "Torpedoes?" repeated Hayes, and just for a moment, Tucker saw a bit on concern on the MACO major's face. "Okay, everyone," Hayes announced, "the exercise is over. Return to the EVA Kitting Room."

Tucker decided at the very least some tie-down straps would be a very good idea, as well as a preemptive talk with Malcolm Reed – On the way out the hatch he passed by Corporal Hawkins, who at least had the intelligence to look upset – "Maybe you ought to meet the major in the Kitting Room?" The corporal left in a hurry. 'Oh God! Malcolm was gonna blow a gasket!' Trip Tucker hurried to corner Reed before he heard in a round-about way what happened . . .

OOOOO

A.N. I'm not altogether happy with the last part – but I found it curious that Tucker and Hayes had almost no interaction at all in the show . . . in fact the actual scenes where they were together could be counted on the fingers of one hand . . .


	5. Chapter 5

D And D Chapter 5

See Above

OOOOO

A.N. I view these first few missions in the Expanse as 'Dark First Contacts' – the denizens of the Expanse meet painfully naïve Humans . . . and the effect on Archer is particularly apparent . . . I apologize for the clumsy language describing the region, but then it is an unknown place . . .

OOOOO

Commander Charles Tucker III stood outside the Enterprise Armory main hatch; he didn't like delivering bad news anyway, but the prospect of telling his friend Malcolm what he had to say was difficult to say the least. It wasn't that the tactical officer would become visibly upset – very much the opposite. He anticipated that Malcolm Reed would listen to him quietly, then either quickly or with deliberation (Trip wasn't sure which this time) – remedy the problem. (Internally of course, was another matter . . .)

Trip's own personal contact with Major Hayes had been minimal – in fact, except for the occasion where he and the captain had gone to greet the new troops on Earth, he hadn't had a moment alone with the man, which was odd, because after all it was a small ship - even if it was the pride of Starfleet. Well, maybe not that odd – the Southerner acknowledged that his social contacts of late had been pretty much limited to the people in Engineering, and that often he had been deep in the bowels of the ship, obsessed with the proper functioning of the ship.

He couldn't remember the last time he had gone to the gym, and seemed to remember that they had taken out that rotating ball contraption – it was fun but it took up too much space. And now with the MACOs on board, the concept of doing something for 'fun' seemed just wrong . . . a stray thought crossed his mind – it was too bad that he hadn't been able to get Malcolm to try the device but the 'canny Brit' had said something about avoiding a situation guaranteed to make himself ill.

(Actually Trip Tucker knew damn well there was another reason why he hadn't been exactly buddies with any of the MACOs on board – and it was something that he was going to have to work on. He'd grown up in an area of the United States 'loaded' with military bases and installations – it was hard to explain to someone who hadn't lived on 'the panhandle' but there were two distinct cultures of natives – the 'locals' and the 'military' – who moved in and out of the area on a regular basis.

The 'locals' tended to stay put – living in the area for generations and regarded anyone new as being suspect. The military families moved in and out of the area at the behest of the national government – the two groups were opposite in their outlook on life. Trip's family didn't belong to either group. His dad was an engineer brought in to supervise (and correct a chronic problem at a facility with his company involving both technology and personnel) and had moved around the region on a set schedule known only to the insiders at the business.

Trip hadn't even been born in the state, but had moved there as a small child – his family lived in a house located on the bay, and as a child he had learned to swim in the ocean without any fear. Becoming a skilled diver was the next step, hence the old-fashioned diver's helmet in his quarters. The Tuckers had moved in and out of the house on the bay several times, as it was mostly central to where Trip's father moved around to work.

The Southerner tended to think of the 'military' in the area in terms of economics – the people with the money 'got the goods' and the best treatment, and were the most visible – which didn't make him exactly instant friends with either group – he wasn't a local – and his dad wasn't military – and most importantly – as a child he was so intelligent that no one knew what to do with him. Trip joined the space agency Starfleet because of the technology involved, not because of any perceived connection with the military.

As much as Tucker was normally a friendly person, both his grief at his sister's death, and his lack of interest in matters military meant that the MACOs and Major Hayes while important to the mission, made little impression on the mind of the chief engineer. He was too obsessed with the functioning of the ship.)

Commander Tucker entered the armory and immediately spotted the lieutenant standing over a torpedo on a test bench – he was talking with a crewman by the name of Fuller that Trip recognized as an armory technician, and the two of them seemed to be looking at a module of some kind that Malcolm was holding in his left hand. The wiring was familiar as it was a standard type used in control circuits, but the function of the device was unknown to the commander. The two men could have been discussing almost anything – although the atmosphere in the armory was decidedly quieter and less energetic than in engineering.

Reed raised his head at the entrance of Tucker; there was the barest hint of a question on his face. Obviously he had been thinking about the problem in his hand, and Trip's arrival in the armory had disrupted whatever thought he had been discussing with Fuller. "If you could test the inputs on this device, while I speak with Commander Tucker . . ." The crewman nodded his head and took the module from the lieutenant; he immediately pulled a test probe from the bench and began to insert the tip at one of the inputs. Trip noticed this as an aside – Malcolm had started to walk in his direction. "Could I talk to you in your office for a bit?"

He wasn't surprised at Malcolm's reaction – a little concerned as normally the more relaxed Tucker would have talked to him about almost anything 'out in the open'. This time however, the Southerner directly headed for Malcolm's small office and entered, waiting for the hatch to close before speaking. "Commander," Reed began, schooling his face, and watching the man lean his backside against the edge of his desk. The room was loaded with supplies, and there was barely enough space for a desk and a computer console – he spent very little actual time in here, as handling three different ship's functions left minimal time, and he preferred to write reports in his quarters. "Commander," he repeated, "Is there a problem?"

Trip almost said 'Lieutenant', as this was an official matter – but he decided to keep the whole thing 'low key', and he only said, "Have you been keeping an eye on what Major Hayes has been doing with the MACOs?" Malcolm did that odd 'shifting thing' with his feet, which to Trip meant he was upset – the Brit also had his arms crossed – Yes, he definitely was 'not happy' . . . His impression was confirmed when Malcolm quietly said, "What has the major done, this time? I've already informed him that conducting 'mini-marathons' in the corridors is a very bad idea as they are used by ship's personnel and some of them are adjacent to sleeping quarters. I have given him the control of the exercise room to do with as he pleases – has he 'expanded' his group's activities to other areas? 'Idle hands are the devil's workshop' – I don't wish to borrow trouble, but Major Hayes is trying my patience!" The last comment was spoken with a distinct 'huff' on the armory officer's part.

Something about Malcolm's stance triggered a vague memory of their time when the crew was under the influence of that trinary black hole – Trip 'remembered' being angry at the Brit, and he thought 'even if Malcolm is in the right, just being himself makes some people pissed.' But now wasn't the time to mention that thought, so Tucker only said, "Yeah. Hayes scheduled an exercise with the capt'n's permission in a cargo bay, in EVA suits, low gravity, and . . ." the commander hesitated just for a moment, not wanting to irritate and hurt his friend, "low-powered phase pistols." He then added quickly, perhaps too quickly, that he had caught the group before any damage was done, and had told Hayes to tell them to go back to the gym – and that he was going to be installing tie downs for the, uh, torpedoes . . .

Lieutenant Reed listened to the engineer's explanation without obvious reaction other than a 'tightening' of his facial muscles; he then opened the door to the larger armory area and exited, leaving Tucker to follow behind. Malcolm walked up to Crewman Fuller, and asked if there was anything more that he needed; the technician looked up at his superior and was able to tell as he had worked with the lieutenant for a couple of years, that something was bothering him. However, he also knew that it was best to not complicate the matter by asking, so he merely told the truth and said, "No, sir," and Fuller watched the two men walk out of the armory – Reed in the lead, and Tucker following reluctantly . . .

Malcolm entered the lift, and paused his action for just a few seconds while waiting for Commander Tucker to accompany him. 'Trip is conflicted,' he observed, 'Caught between not wanting to give Captain Archer more 'grief' and his unnecessary guilt in not keeping a closer watch on Hayes.' Then Malcolm added in his mind, 'I should have been more aware of what the major was up to!' Both men were deep in thought as they arrived at the bridge level. Captain Archer was sitting in the command chair, and observed their entry. "Commander, Lieutenant, is there something wrong?"

Reed looked at Tucker, and the commander acquiesced to the unspoken request, "Capt'n, can we talk to you in your Ready Room?" As Archer followed the two officers through the short breezeway leaving T'Pol in command of the ship, and into the small office, he couldn't help but notice that his tactical chief seemed even more formal than usual, while Trip looked 'embarrassed'. Jonathan decided to 'take control of the situation' whatever it was, by sitting down at his desk and he motioned in the general direction of the other two chairs in the room.

Trip sat down – seemingly carrying 'the weight of the world' while Malcolm Reed remained standing and looked at the two seated men. The captain recognized that he was going to get a lecture about something – and of the two likely topics, namely the mission to find the Xindi or the subject of Major Hayes, - he bet it was the latter. Literally, nothing had happened yet, except for some odd ripples in the space/time continuum, but then they had been in the Expanse almost a month and it was a very vast area . . . Archer was getting impatient for the mission to actively begin and he didn't have patience for petty internal bickering . . .

OOOOO

Corporal Frank Hawkins walked back to Kitting Room, and as he opened the door to the area, he noticed the MACOs removing their EVA suits and placing the distinctive gear alongside that of the Starfleet crew on the rack – with the added equipment and personnel the room was packed with bodies – and comments about what had happened. Since no Starfleet crew were currently present, Hayes let his forces express their frustration at the situation, and probably his as well . . . Hawkins personally thought it was a classic F.U.B.A.R., and one very definite cluster . . . Reed's name was mentioned more than once, as was Archer's – and that bastard Tucker for disrupting the exercise . . .

Finally Hayes held up his hand and said, "Okay, that's enough. I'll find out what happened. I'm giving everyone a twelve hour break for rest and food. Return to your quarters." Hawkins left with the rest of the MACOs; their cabins were small but everyone was like-minded as to their mission so that the tight space wasn't too bad. The four people in Hawkins' cabin – Romero, Chang, Peterson, and himself - broke out some energy bars and soda, then unwound by reading and listening to music using ear buds – Chang left for a while to use the 'can', while Hawkins himself worked on polishing his dress boots so that they shone in the indoor lighting. He understood that the real lack of anything 'to do' was getting to everyone. It was extremely frustrating for everyone involved. They really needed to get into action.

OOOOO

Commander Charles Tucker III hated being the guy in the middle; unfortunately he was beginning to feel like that was where he was going to spend this entire mission. Or maybe not exactly in the middle – the captain would of course have the final word, and his view would be heavily weighted against that of Malcolm Reed. 'But Malcolm's like one of them little terriers,' he thought as he watched the lieutenant make his case against the MACOs in the guise of Major Hayes having free reign on the ship. 'He doesn't give up – leastwise without trying to make his point.'

The point being for the moment, that Reed wanted to integrate the MACO troops into the security personnel on the ship; he wasn't keen on having two separate groups and this fiasco in the cargo bay illustrated his frustration. It didn't help that Captain Archer himself had given permission for the exercise. He didn't remember giving authority for the storing of the additional ordinance in the cargo bay, but then as captain, Jonathan Archer had more important responsibilities to worry about.

Trip could see though, that the captain was getting irritated with his armory officer, and this continued standoff could not have a good end; and he was trying to figure out a diplomatic way to end the 'discussion', when T'Pol called from the Bridge saying that the long-range sensors had picked up a signal from some kind of vessel. Archer immediately called an end to the dispute, and said that everything would stay the same for the time being . . . Tucker could tell that the problem was no way close to being settled, and he thought it a safe bet that the cargo bay incident would not be the last problem involving Major Hayes and the MACOs.

OOOOO


	6. Chapter 6

D And D Chapter 6

See Above

OOOOO

All three officers exited the Captain's Ready Room not sure what to expect – T'Pol's announcement that a ship had been spotted on the sensors could mean almost anything; Archer however, wasn't taking any chances and ordered that a tactical alert be put in place so as to be ready for any eventuality. That course of action was approved by Reed as there was no indication as to what type of vessel the Enterprise had come upon, and he dismissed the crewman who had been on duty at the tactical station. (They were normally an armament specialist, and would be needed in the armory in case of an attack; Reed believed in allowing qualified personnel the opportunity to learn new skills during otherwise uneventful shifts. One must be prepared for any and all situations.)

Tucker headed down to the Engine Room – more to keep an eye on his engines than anything else – his staff was well trained and could handle most anything he thought they'd run across. Besides, he was glad to 'get out of the line of fire' between the capt'n and Malcolm. As he was walking out of the lift he noticed that according to the protocols that Malcolm had set up MACOs were stationed at the main hatch to the engineering room. He assumed that they were also situated on the upper level auxiliary door. Even though he was a little peeved at the Brit's obsession with security – sometimes the focus was damn handy. Like right now.

As he entered the hatch he noticed the name tag on one of the MACOs – it said F. Hawkins – and he was a corporal. Trip nodded his head at the man, and walked over the transom. Then he closed the hatch. During extreme alert status, there would even be armed MACOs inside the area, a thought that didn't please the chief engineer in the least. (Normally only certain senior officers and engineering specialists were allowed access to the engine room. During the development of both the warp and impulse engines, accidents happened and the effects were horrific. People died and lives were ruined, because of the nature of the energies involved.)

Tucker spotted Lieutenant Hess and Senior Crewman Rostov standing in front of a screen reading some data – just the people he wanted to see. Hess looked up and said, "Hello boss . . . what's going on? We got the alert tones . . ." "Don't really know yet. There's a ship on our sensors. Everything okay down here?" replied Trip, who actually knew that everything was okay, just by how the atmosphere in the area 'was'. The engineers who worked with the engines on the Enterprise loved their jobs; the capt'n could keep his 'command function' and Malcolm, his armory – the people in here, his people – knew that they held the life blood of the ship in their hands . . . and it was good. Most of the people under his command were qualified to be either chief engineers in their own right or with a little experience would someday assume that post. The people 'under' him were the best and his friends . . .

OOOOO

The 'atmosphere' on the Bridge was not quite so friendly – neither Ensign Mayweather nor Ensign Sato were on duty; the crew replacing them were not particularly happy people and T'Pol being Vulcan didn't exude 'joie de vie' – usually Captain Archer made up for this lack of cheerfulness, as he was excited to meet new people – but not today. And his attitude toward Lieutenant Reed seemed particularly strained, thought the Vulcan, who regarded the interaction between the two men with some concern – she had noticed Commander Tucker almost escaping into the lift. Whatever was discussed in the Ready Room must have been the cause.

The Enterprise was headed toward the unknown vessel, tactical alert in place – Lieutenant Reed was busy accessing the various senor arrays available – T'Pol watched the activation codes filter through her console; the human was skilled at cycling through the numbers at a speed which was impressive. She had been given access to the crew's personnel records as gathered by the Vulcan High Command previous to being assigned to the ship a couple of years ago. The information that had been gathered on Malcolm Reed mentioned his quick reflexes, and ability to marshal needed information in a timely manner. (The Vulcan database also considered that he would be assigned a captaincy in the future, at least in their opinion – so he was someone to be watched closely.)

However, if there was one 'failing' that Lieutenant Reed possessed, it was the difficulty he had with 'getting along' (as Commander Tucker would put it) with some other humans; while T'Pol could appreciate his 'technical expertise', she found it hard to understand why the young human had such difficulties in dealing with fellow crewmembers – while his aggressive tendencies might have made him unsuitable on a Vulcan ship – he actually expressed satisfaction regarding a well-planned explosion - on this human vessel, his attention to detail and rational approach made him invaluable. It was most unfortunate, that Captain Archer seemed prone to question many of his recommendations.

An example was the current situation. Lieutenant Reed made the suggestion that caution be exercised in approaching this unknown vessel; the captain seemed in contrast, quite eager to confront, to 'engage', the object of the sensor activation. Jonathan Archer was clearly focused on the mission of finding those responsible for the attack on Earth. When the lieutenant reported, and then confirmed that the ship was not armed with anything but the most minimal of weaponry, Archer seemed almost disappointed. He then ordered Ensign Sato to contact said vessel, and a scene of what was presumably a command station was beamed between the two vessels.

The alien could apparently visualize objects in very low light levels, as the being's features were barely discernible, but a vaguely fleshy mien was evident. The sound coming from the creature's vocal apparatus faintly burbled, but the Universal Translator seemed to be working well, and after a few moments of mutual confusion, Captain Archer and the alien were making declarative statements about their intensions. T'Pol read a message from the lieutenant at her science station – 'Can you see the background on that ship? My visual acuity is not good enough to see the area around this alien. Can you increase the sensitivity of the resolution?' She nodded in the direction of Reed, and extended the discrimination . . . it might not help immediately, but if need be they would process the tape through the computer for more details . . .

Meanwhile, Captain Archer and the alien, who said he transported supplies and people around the region seemed to be 'getting along just fine', and the alien, who said he was a master of a cargo vessel with an unpronounceable name, volunteered at the captain's question, that perhaps he may have transported a 'xindi' to a destination of a mining colony where he was 'a worker' some time previously and gave the coordinates of the mine's location. The Enterprise's captain seemed quite pleased at this helpful information, and responded by giving the being effusive praise, which the alien accepted, then the two ships communication cut off and presumably the other craft went on 'its original course'. (Malcolm Reed felt like pounding his head on the tactical station; what use was it to even have 'a tactical officer', when the person in charge acted like a naïve prat?)

For his part, Archer seemed pleased at his discovery and looked in the direction of the science officer's station and T'Pol; she seemed as impassive as always, although she seemed to be staring at her forward screen. She had sent a message back to Lieutenant Reed, detailing that she was unable to increase the resolution to a sufficient degree so as to make the background on the alien ship discernible. Mr. Reed closed his eyes briefly - then addressed the captain directly. "Sir, did you want me to 'stand down' from the tactical alert?"

"Of course," was the reply – then the captain's comment continued, "Looks like we're finally finding out some information . . ." T'Pol would remember Malcolm Reed's answer, "If you say so, sir."

OOOOO

Captain Archer gave instructions for the ship's course to continue toward the center of this Delphic Expanse and presumably in the direction of the Xindi homeworld, however the region seemed particularly empty, and a couple of weeks went by with nary a change in the daily reports other than forward motion deeper into the region. The location of the mining colony where 'the possible xindi' had been transported, finally began to show on the forward sensors, although at least to Malcolm Reed's mind the value of that bit of information was specious at best.

Then one day, as the lieutenant was in the Command Center – located just off the bridge in a reconfigured special cargo holding area (as some of the equipment on their earlier mission was of a more delicate nature) – he was examining with T'Pol, who was given the courtesy rank of commander, the not-unusual lack of results so far in their quest to find the Xindi homeworld. Suddenly Captain Archer entered the room. He seemed to be in an agitated frame of mind, and asked him a very odd question, regarding the former function of the Command Center.

Later, Reed wondered if he could have handled the situation differently – but it was not unheard of for superior officers to ask subordinate crew members questions of an obvious nature in order to 'make a point' – he just wasn't quite sure what thought had inspired Archer to ask that question so he answered as directly as possible. And got 'shamed' in such a way before Commander T'Pol, which he himself never would have done to anyone under his command; it just wasn't done. (His own father had on a couple of memorable occasions forced abasement on his part, with similar results. Knowing that someone is blustering, and doing something about it are two very different things. Malcolm felt, and knew he looked ill.)

Archer was concerned about the lack of results regarding their search for the Xindi homeworld – he demanded action. Reed tried to remind the captain that this kind of mission did not often yield immediate information, but he seemed not to want to listen and brought up the 'freighter captain's' report of 'a xindi worker' at a mining facility. (This was problematic in Reed's mind for several reasons – first the 'so-called' freighter captain . . . and when he brought up that very first issue . . . was told in no uncertain terms that the Enterprise was going to the mining colony to find the worker. Malcolm didn't even get to the matter of other questions he had – namely that this report was several years old apparently, and why would some 'worker' – a miner at that – have any idea where the Xindi homeworld was . . .) No matter – the Enterprise would go to the mining colony to find the xindi . . .

As Archer strode out of the room, Reed could sense T'Pol staring at both himself and the departing captain; this was one of those times when he wished that Commander Tucker was the first officer – and that he had been in the Command Center instead of the vulcan. Trip might have been able to placate 'the capt'n' with a few well-chosen words. As it was, Lieutenant Malcolm Reed felt alone at the moment, and the universe was a very big place; he just hoped that this 'bullying' by the man was a temporary aberration.

OOOOO

At the start of his next duty shift, Reed was down in the armory receiving a shift report from the previous shift leader – at least the armaments on the Enterprise were in good order, as this part of the ship was directly under his control, and his staff knew exactly what his expectations were. Malcolm had found out that during his 'off duty period', the captain had had Ensign Sato contact the mining complex on the planet, and found out that the foreman of the 'North Mine' claimed that there was indeed a xindi on his workforce. And that for 'a small fee' he could facilitate an introduction with the alien . . . Reed wondered if the foreman would be pocketing the entire fee or if he would be splitting it with the worker – each situation would require different handling.

Of equal concern (at least in Malcolm's mind) was the effect that stress seemed to be having on Captain Archer's attitude – he was so determined to find these Xindi that the idea of covert operations in the matter was apparently 'off the table'. So be it; he would have to manage the situation as best he could, and 'try' to reign in the captain's (and possibly Trip's) ardor in finding the aliens. He would be the 'professional' in the matter, because running off 'half-cocked' was a very bad idea. (And Malcolm was thankful that T'Pol had decided to stay on the ship – being unemotional during this trying time was a godsend . . .)

The lieutenant's mind then focused on the MACOs – if their expertise were not required soon he was going to have to consider a more inclusive role for the group in the running of the ship. Major Hayes might complain mightily, but long stress-filled missions were not good for either the Starfleet Security personnel or the MACO 'guests'. Despite Hayes' determination to keep the group cohesion intact, Reed had begun to notice that the MACOs were at long last beginning to interact on a daily basis with the other crew on the ship. Oh, well, thought Reed, if anything ever went totally or even mostly the way he wanted, he would most definitely be surprised.

OOOOO

There was a rumor going around the enlisted ranks of the MACOs – that the ship would be finally 'stopping' at a planet. Why, of course, was a good question – unfortunately no one seemed to know – and even asking Major Hayes produced an expected answer. "They'll let us know at the proper time, if we are needed . . ." replied the man, somewhat looking irritated. That no one 'bothered' to inform him of the anticipated planet fall meant that he was 'left in the dark', and thought that Lieutenant Reed was responsible for the oversight.

He determined to approach the lieutenant and ask him what the hell was going on – but as he attempted to contact the man – Hayes was told that Lieutenant Reed was off the ship, with Captain Archer, transiting down to the planet via a shuttlecraft. The major thought that he and his MACOs were being 'shut out' of the mission – 'Why had not Archer included a MACO for protection down to the planet? It was his assigned duty to protect the crew – and Archer should have had a trained MACO with him!'

OOOOO

Actually Major Hayes wasn't the only person left in the dark – so was Malcolm Reed, both figuratively and literally, who piloted the shuttle in the direction of the coordinates of the North Mine, and was quite dismayed to have realized that an instrument landing was required. A murky haze was enveloping the region, and it took some delicate navigational skills to work his way around the area. And this in spite of winds that were powerful enough to power some windmills that dotted the landscape above the mine. Not much was said on the trip down by either man – Archer had informed Reed that they would be meeting with the mine foreman who would 'provide proof' that a xindi worked at their mine, and that access would be granted once payment was agreed upon and paid.

(The captain had bluntly refused to carry any weapons on their trip to the mine, saying that it would hardly look 'trusting' to arrive at the rendezvous 'armed to the teeth'; the thought briefly crossed Reed's mind that they had not made any physical first contacts in almost a year, and he discreetly carried a few of his favorite covert items 'just in case.' The tactical officer held to the belief that this odd, unexplained aggressive/passive streak of Jonathan Archer's was becoming tiresome and possibly dangerous.)

The shuttle pod landed in the zone that the mine foreman had indicated – Jonathan Archer was almost 'jumping out of his skin', anticipating the meeting with the alien and the proof of the Xindi worker that was promised. Reed looked at the murky gloom of the outside, and popped the hatch – he had a 'bad feeling' about this . . .

OOOOO


	7. Chapter 7

D And D Chapter Seven

See above.

OOOOO

A.N. In this chapter I am attempting to explain the inconsistencies in Archer's response to the developing situation, and Reed's apparent 'lack of interest' in those inconsistencies. I believe there would have been more to the story than what was shown 'on the screen', and the lieutenant's outburst regarding Major Hayes had more to it than what was expressed to T'Pol – she was rightly confused at the strength of his anger.

OOOOO

Later, as Malcolm Reed reported the incident, he reflected on the memory or lack thereof regarding previous situations where he couldn't breathe properly; he supposed that he had been fortunate – but that happenstance came to an abrupt end as he exited the shuttle, following Captain Archer. The man had been so focused on speaking with this xindi which the mine foreman reported in his employ, that he had practically flung himself out of the craft, leaving his subordinate to wonder briefly what he could do to subdue the American's foolhardy enthusiasm.

That was, until he got a lungful of the air, the atmosphere having cloaked visibility on the way down, and he thought for a horrible moment, of suffocating, of drowning in whatever this vile mixture contained. Reed involuntarily hitched his breathing, only to have Archer pound him on the back, and mention cheerfully that Phlox had declared it safe to breathe for 'short periods of time' – a bit of information that no one (meaning Jonathan Archer) had thought noteworthy enough to let his tactical officer (effectively guard) be aware of . . .

As the two men headed for the apparent access to the building, the lieutenant looked at the opening, and judged its height and that of the steps to be greater than usual. 'Oh great,' he thought, 'the people who built this place are bloody giants', - and realized that Archer apparently had no difficulty in mounting the steps, even as he was trying to slow down his captain's access into the facility. 'Damn the man! This 'headlong rush' would get them killed . . .'

For just a moment he succeeded in preceding Archer down a freestanding flight of stairs so that any unexpected threat could be assessed and blocked, but the captain again pushed ahead heedless of the situation and possible danger. Any further attempts to safeguard the captain in this manner were thwarted by the appearance of two weapon-bearing humanoids – possible security personnel thought Malcolm - wearing face-masks, presumably to deal with the foul, chemical-laden air. The lieutenant wondered if there were security sensors on the landing pad above or if the act of actually entering the facility had activated some kind of alarm. They were 'guided' down farther into the mine and Reed was struck by the similarities and differences of the time he had had to rescue Archer from the Klingons.

(That time it had been the cold – a blinding, white, bitter cold, which made Reed think of other ill-fated Britons – the hubris of the Franklin Expedition, or the mad dash to the South Pole by Scott. Bad preparation will kill you – but so would obsession – and this current 'quest' of Archer's bore all the signs of that madness. The current mission to find the Xindi, and prevent the destruction of Earth was of utmost importance; Malcolm had no dispute with the captain in that regard. But there were operational objectives to be considered, and he intended to have a meeting with T'Pol on that very subject. This excursion (and he thought of it in those terms) to a foul, choking, dung-heap of a mine did not meet even the most low-level objective. Exactly how did Archer expect a common xindi miner to know the coordinates to the Xindi homeworld?)

The two men were led down a corridor and entered a doorway guarded by two additional humanoids – Reed wondered at the need for so much security - where a creature sat peering at something off to the side; it was clearly not the same species as the guards, and Reed was even more concerned as he looked at the general impression of the being. Humanoid, true, but also snake-like with none of the cleanliness of those reptiles, it exuded an odor which was apparently bothersome to the creature as it kept checking the smell of its skin around some glands. At least that was what Reed guessed – he didn't intend to get any closer to the thing, and he hoped that the captain had the same thought.

Croaking out the word 'Archer', the captain and it began a 'conversation' regarding payment arrangements for the 'introduction' of this supposed xindi. 'Liquefied Platinum?' Malcolm heard Captain Archer state that they didn't carry precious metals aboard the Enterprise. Reed realized at that moment, that very moment everything 'could go south', because this so above-board American knew nothing about the 'niceties' of trading . . . and he knew with a certainty that the best way to get away from this pesthole was to make this creature believe that there just might be some of what he wanted on the ship.

So he pulled Jonathan Archer aside and made the observation to him, under the gaze of the mine foreman, that there were components aboard the ship that were coated in a cobalt-platinum alloy, and that perhaps they could extract enough of the coating, and separate out enough of the individual metals to meet the price. Archer and the creature accepted the ruse at face-value; what happened next – the tactical officer would never forget.

Malcolm had carefully schooled the expression on his face to reflect nothing in the way of reaction to anything that happened in this room. He had to present a solid support for the captain in front of this alien, so when Archer demanded proof that the being they would be introduced to was xindi, the mine foreman went to a cabinet and withdrew a scrap of material, tossing it in the general direction of the two Enterprise officers. Archer picked the scrap up and opened the cloth; in it was a severed finger . . . "Why would you do this?" he stated clearly offended. "An unfortunate accident", replied the creature. Reed decided at that moment that whatever game this creature was 'playing' – it wasn't worth the price. The very idea that Archer would be willing return with the platinum . . . and trust this creature to provide him with 'the damaged goods' to question . . .

The foreman then signaled that the meeting was over by banging a rod on some kind of metallic rack – it reverberated sharply summoning the earlier guards to escort the two officers back to the shuttlepod. They hurried back to the vessel, and nothing was said until they were safely launched and some distance from the planet surface. The lieutenant had been occupied with exiting the area safely since the visibility was so minimal – and only turned around to find Archer putting the 'proof' of the xindi in a bio-hazard container; he noticed Reed watching his action. "We need to get this to Dr. Phlox as quickly as possible." The American seemed to pause for just a moment, then continued, "Tell Trip about the liquefied platinum – I want to have the required amount by tomorrow so we can meet the deadline."

"Sir, I believe this is a bad idea. Now only do we not know what this xindi miner knows of where his homeworld might be . . . but we do know definitely what kind of actions that the mine foreman is capable of. It's a very bad idea!" Malcolm blurted out his thoughts in a rush – dealing with the likes of Jonathan Archer was extremely frustrating. Didn't the man have any sense of self-preservation at all?

Apparently not. The man began to almost rant about Reed's own lack of confidence in the mission – That he did not have understanding of the objective of saving Earth. That he, Archer, was going to do what was deemed necessary to achieve that objective no matter what. How could Reed, a trained tactical officer, not see the vital nature of this opportunity to examine an actual live xindi – one of the enemy race who attacked Earth? It was inconceivable in Archer's mind that any of the people aboard the Enterprise would not have the mission objective firmly in mind to destroy the Xindi menace as was shown to him on the Suliban vessel. No, they would pursue any and all possibilities to find and eliminate the danger to humanity.

Malcolm Reed listened to the captain without much outward reaction. He had learned at a very early age, that sometimes, for one's own sanity or physical wellbeing – if nothing else – one should not react to the emotional outbursts of superiors – whether higher ranking officers or one's parents. He still thought that this course of action was extremely unwise, but if Archer was bound and determined to get himself in trouble, Reed would not stand in the way. He would, however, safeguard the ship; that he would do – Archer could interrogate that poor bastard to his heart's content. Far worse had been done in the pursuit of a war.

As they approached the Enterprise, Malcolm broached the subject of perhaps allowing one of his security officers to accompany the captain back to the mine to deliver the platinum – considering the situation Archer really only needed someone to carry the 'payment' – perhaps one of the more physically intimidating crewmen to match that of the foreman? Archer replied that he'd think about it, and left the shuttle bay to personally deliver the 'evidence of the xindi' and tell Trip about the platinum. He ordered Reed back to his station on the bridge, where he could assist T'Pol in 'orbiting the ship around the planet'. Reed left, thinking that Archer had been dismissive, and had dismissed him . . .

OOOOO

As Reed entered the bridge, he passed within a few feet of the captain's chair – indeed there was no other way to get to his station. Commander T'Pol was sitting in command, and she acknowledged his presence with a brief look. Then, he noticed with a bit of a surprise, that she actually seemed to be (for the lack of a better term) reacting to something – "Lieutenant," she stated drily, "you have acquired an odor from your mission."

An 'outside observer' might have noticed the following at this point – both Ensigns Mayweather and Sato were having difficulty in maintaining a level of comportment fitting a Starfleet officer , Commander T'Pol was gripping the armrests of the command chair (albeit unconsciously) and most importantly, Lieutenant Reed flinched as though struck. Although the Brit had on occasion gotten completely filthy during the course of a mission, he usually was able to 'clean up' sufficiently before coming back on duty.

Obviously exposure to the environment of the mine was discernible to the commander, and that was not acceptable for an on-duty officer. "Commander," Mr. Reed spoke with feeling, "Please accept my apologies. I will be back within the half-hour. I was unaware that I was offensive." And he backed quickly into the lift, intent on rectifying the situation.

OOOOO

The start of Lieutenant Reed's duty shift the next day was quiet – mainly because Captain Archer had decided to take Commander Tucker with him down to the mine to deliver the platinum. Whatever the type of ore that was mined there, it was evident that the facility was 'armed to the teeth', and Reed watched the shuttle leave the ship with a distinctly sour feeling. The dusky, blue chemical must have some value in the local economy – else this 'mine' would have failed long ago. He focused his attention to the matter at hand, and made sure that the sensors were arrayed to notify him if any other vessels were approaching . . .

Trip's engineering crew had managed to separate out a half-liter of 'liquefied platinum', and the Southerner had specifically asked if he could go with 'the Capt'n' (as he put it) to deliver the payment. The commander seemed almost gleeful in that he would be able to finally meet a live 'xindi' – Malcolm felt his gorge rise as he thought about Archer and Tucker 'interrogating' some poor sod of a miner. The last thing he wanted to do was try to explain to Starfleet command how both of his human superior officers had abused (or worse) an innocent being . . .

At least Commander T'Pol had apparently forgotten his 'problem' of yesterday; so he turned his back to monitoring the sensors . . .

OOOOO


End file.
